1. What’s your favorite kind of video game to play with your family?
Anything with a co-operative element; I’m all about team play.
2. What’s your favorite quality in a male game character? Female game character?
I would say in both I look for a combination of drive and humor; I like characters who have both a reason to do what they do and enough of a personality that they’re not just one-tone drama factories.
3. What kinds of game do you avoid?
Anything directly competitive (like arcade fighters).
4. What’s your favorite quality in your gaming buddies (kids or not)?
A desire to have fun; after all, this is a hobby, not a job!
5. What’s your main fault as a gamer?
Perfectionism; I always shoot for high scores and impressive wins.
6. How has gaming shaped your identity?
I’ve been playing strategy games since I was 12, and became interested in global politics and world history as a result. In many ways, I am where I am today because I picked up a copy of Hearts of Iron II in middle school and became addicted to the life of the armchair general.
7. What’s your idea of a miserable gaming experience?
Anything that involves memorizing combo strings.
8. In which virtual world would you choose to vacation?
Probably Thedas from Dragon Age; I think it has a nice sense of visual style.
9. Which game did you find most visually appealing?
This can really vary based on genre; anything with a good sense of how to use color can be very visually enjoyable.
10. Which game soundtrack would you listen to on repeat?
The Total War games! They’ve got great music for getting pumped!
11. Which game has your favorite story?
I think Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together has a really interesting story that does a good job of looking at what war and conflict really does to people, which is something you don’t see much of in mainstream gaming.
12. Which video game character would you choose to be a hero for your kids?
Paragon-flavored Commander Shepard from Mass Effect.
13. What are your favorite gaming snacks?
I’m a big fan of having a few beers while I play.
14. Who’s your favorite video game villain?
Henry Leland from Alpha Protocol. His back and forth with the main character is really interesting as a narrative mechanic.
15. Which videogame ability/item/superpower would you most like to be gifted with?
Teleportation: talk about convenience!
16. What videogame character would you pick to cosplay if you had unlimited time and resources?
I’d probably just go for the generic samurai look; that armor is so stylish!
17. Most interesting way you’ve ever died in a video game?
I once managed to create a bizarre physics glitch in Planetside 2 that rocketed me up around 600 feet; my character hit an enemy aircraft and the impact killed both of us (I’m not sure if he was so surprised he just crashed).
